Val Thorens, the highest ski resort in Europe, traditionally opens its season first in the Three Valleys, with a launch weekend combining equipment tests, entertainment and reunions between the resort's regulars.
La Grande Première marks the opening of the Val Thorens - Orelle ski area, generally several days before the rest of the Three Valleys thanks to the resort's altitude and earlier snowfall. The weekend combines a test village where around fifty brands present their equipment for the season, introductions to different disciplines and festive entertainment in the evening.
The opening attracts regulars and enthusiasts who enjoy the very first days of snow of the season, often before the bigger Christmas holiday crowds. Accommodation in Val Thorens is fully booked from this first weekend, with international visitors travelling specifically for the occasion.
Beyond skiing, this opening weekend is a real mountain gathering: equipment brands, ESF ski instructors and resort professionals come together around events designed to set the tone for the season ahead, in a more relaxed atmosphere than the major World Cup races that follow in December.
The resort uses this early launch to test its facilities in real conditions before the peak of the Christmas holidays: lifts, piste grooming and queue management are fine-tuned with a still reasonable flow of skiers.
For a transfer to Val Thorens at this time, access is the same as for the rest of the season (Geneva, Chambéry, Lyon), but the very first days of opening may still see partial snow cover on the highest access roads, something our chauffeurs, who know the region well, anticipate.
Many visitors use this weekend to combine their arrival in Val Thorens with a stop in Courchevel, as the two resorts are a little over an hour apart by road: our hourly chauffeur service lets you link both with no time constraints.
How to organise your transport for this event
- 1Book your transfer well in advance: this first weekend of the season fills up quickly, for transport as well as accommodation.
- 2Road conditions may already be partly wintry if snow comes early that year, so a chauffeur equipped for the mountains is essential from this first weekend.
Our services for this event
Plan your transport for this event: book online or request a quote, depending on the service.
